Shoe.



PATENTED JAN. 17, 1905.

T. 0. HOLLAND.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED 313.18. 1399.

Rf@ w Patented January. 1'?, 1905.

Nr Fries.

MOE..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,036, dated January 17, 1905.

Application led February 18, 1899. Serial No. 706,024.

Be it known that I, TnoMAs Osno'uN'n Hor.- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county oi' Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoes; and l do hereby declare the followingl to be a iliull, clear, and exact description olt the in ven tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is in a simple, effective, and at once ornamental manner to close or cover the slit or foot-inlet ci a shoe, thereby to prevent entrance of dust and moisture to the foot of the wearer and at the same time to give the shoe the appearance over the instep of a curved irontor neat-litting gaiter.

A further object is to render unnecessary the employment of eyelets over the instep and in lieu thereof to render possible the use of hooks or studs, thereby reducing the labor required to lace up the shoe and avoiding' the strain put upon the shoe and the lace in pulling the shoe on or olf when only partly unlaced, as is the universal habit.

A further object is to eiiiect saving in the lace, which by reason of the fact that it is covered, and thus protected from dirt and moisture, will wear longer than where exposed, as in shoes of the ordinary construction.

The invention consists generally in a tongueshaped piece of leather or other material constituting' what I term a lace-cover secured exteriorly of the shoe, preferably between the quarters and the vamp, and adapted to close or cover the slit in the upper adjacent to the vamp-that is to say, over the instep. This lace-cover, which is in the nature of a supplemental tongue or a cover-tongue, maybe constructed of any suitable material readily conformable to the shape ot' the instep, preferably oi' leather suitably reinforced by a stiffener, which may be or' metal, indurated liber, Celluloid, horn, or any other material suited to the purpose, or in lieu of the employment of a combination of materials-as, for instance, leather and an auxiliary stiiiener-- leather itseli or any other yielding substance of suiiicient rigidity for the purpose may be ein ploy ed.

'lhe lace-cover is admited to be attached to shoes already manufactured at but a slight cost and is readily adaptable to shoes undergoing' manufacture without requiring any change in the existing' modes ol manuiiacturing the saine. Where the lace-cover is attached to a shoe al ready made, the usual tongue will ot' course be employed; but it is to be understood that the use oi' the lace-cover will render the employment ol the ordinary tongue unnecessary, although, iii preferred, the same may be used.

The upper portion of the lace-cover or of the stif'lener, where one .is employed, is provided on the side next to the upper with eyelets or other suitable laee-hold, through which the ends oli the lace are passed, so that the cover may be drawn up to proper position when the lace is tightened.

The lace-cover may be secured in position upon the shoe in any suitable manner, as by securing it in place between the vamp and the quarters by the line oli stitches usually holding these parts assembled or by a supplemental line oi' stitches passing through the cover, the quarters, and the tongue or by means of line rivets, this latter form oi vfastening device being more particularly adapted for use in connection with cheaper grades oi' shoes or in attaching it to readyanade shoes. Vhere this cover is used in connection with a shoe, the ordinary eyelets used immediately over the instep may be dispensed with. The use oi hooks over the instep will prove more comfortable in effecting lacing', because the ridge or projection formed by the lace on the under side of the eyclet and which presses against the foot will be obviated. Further, a less number oi' hooks than eyelets are required properly to lace up the shoe. The use of hooks over the instep is not contemplated, for the reason that they would catch and fray or tear the clothing. The same is true of eyelet-lacing' -that the roughness causes a fraying of fine clothingin Contact therewith-and all this is obviated b y the lace-cover or covertongue of my invention.

Further and more specific details of construction will be hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, I have illustrated several ways of carrying my invention into effect, it being understood that the same may be effected in other ways than those shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure l is a view in side elevation, displaying a shoe provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view in sectional elevation, displaying` a preferred embodiment of my invention. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views displaying different ways of carrying my invention into eect. Fig. 5 is a view in rear elevation, showing one form of lace-cover that may be employed; and Fig. 6 is a view in vertical section, taken on the line 5 5, Fig. displaying the arrangement of parts of the lace-cover.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a shoe of any ordinary or preferred construction, provided with the usual slit a, adjacent to the edges of which are the customary eyelets and hooks.

The lace-cover B, constituting the gist of the present invention, is shaped in such manner as when in position on the shoe to cover the portion of the slit over the instep and to extend upward a sufcient distance to perform the function of the ordinary tongue employed. This cover may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials and, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which embody one form of my invention, the same is constructed of a leather cover 7) and an internal stiffener L2, the latter being constructed of metal, indurated liber, Celluloid, horn, or any other material suited to the purpose, or, as stated at the outset of the specification, this cover may be made of leather alone or any other yielding substance resembling leather that will readily conform itself to the shape of the instep. lVhere constructed of leather and a stifi'ener, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the stilfener may be held in place as by stitches or a lacing' b3; but it is to be understood that the stiffener may be held in place by paste or other adhesive substance. The lower portion of the cover is widest and thence gradually tapers upward and finally terminates in a reduced tongue 5*, adapted to fit under the respective sides of the slit to subserve the function of the ordinary tongue employed. The upper part of the lace-cover may be conformed or of conformable material, or it may be left limp to pack under the lace between the hooks where hooks are used. It is to be understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the exact shape shown. rIhe upper portion of the stiflener is provided with eyelets f, through which the lace is passed, so that the cover will be securely drawn down over the instep in the act of lacing the shoe. lVhere the stifi'ener is employed, these eyes will be secured therein, as stated; but where the'cover is made of a single piece of material4 as, for instance. of leatherthese eyes may be attached to a supplemental piece of leather or the like secured to the cover, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, the cover is secured between the upper and the vamp by a line of stitches that hold these parts assembled. In Fig. 3, which displays the attachment of the cover to a shoe already constructed, the

cover is held in place by a supplemental row of stitches which will bind the cover closely along the line of the vamp, and thereby obviate the presentation of an obstruction or unsightly raise in a shoe, and in Fig. 4L the cover is shown as held in place by rivets Z2 extending through the cover, through the upper, and the vamp. ln this latter figure the ordinary tongue is shown as used in connection with the lace-cover, and it is to be understood that. the same may be employed in connection with all the figures shown; but in practice it will be found that when the cover is attached to the shoe when the same is made the employment of the ordinary tongue will be unnecessary, thereby reducing' vthe thickness of leather over the instep on theinterior and presenting a shoe that will be easy to the wearer.

The artistic merits of the lace-cover may be enhanced by design perforations or other artwork on the surface.

Further points of utility and saving in the use of this invention are as follows: The outer surface of the lace-cover may be of hard-finished material-as, for instance, patent-leatherso as to prevent the very objectionable wear on the upper leather from rubbing of the garments, and the worn appearance resulting from the friction ofA the lace is also avoided. The lace-cover will prevent the straining and tearing of the vamp at the slit, acting in the na ture of a stay. Items of expense in present methods of staying the vamp at this point may therefore be saved. A saving of leather and labor is effected, in that la raw edge underneath the lace-cover would serve as well as the beaded edge, which is now very general in lace-shoes, and, further, a saving is effected in the use of a coarse and strong-wearing lace rather than a tine-appearing lace, since the lace will not be in view over the instep. It is to be understood, however, that I do not limit my invention to the cover provided with eyelets at its upper end, as these may bel omitted, the upper part of the cover being held in place between the walls of the upper when the lacing is drawn up in the manner usual to the ordinary tongue.

roo

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with a shoe, of a tongue secured thereto adjacent to the slit in the quarters and extending upward to cover the lacing from the lower end of said slit up to and over the instep to forni a guard, the remaining portion oll said tongue being adapted to underlie the remainder of said lacing'.

2. The combination with a shoe, of a tongue secured eXteriorly thereto adjacent to the slit in the quarters,the lower portion oit' said tong'ue being provided with a stiifening and extending' to cover the slit over the instep to form a guard, the upper portion of the tonguefbeing adapted to underlie the remainder of said slit.

As an article ot' manufacture, a singlepiece tongue or laceway-cover adapted to be secured to a shoe exteriorly thereof, adjacent to the slit in the quarters, and provided with a stiti'ening comfortably adaptable to the instep and of proper breadth and shape to prevent curling up of the two sides ofthe tongue, said tongue extending' positively to cover the slit over the instep and to overlie, and thus to constitute an exterior guard for, the lace; the

tongue and stiljening eoacting to prevent entrance of dust and moisture to the foot; and

the guard portion being provided with openings adapted to be engaged by the lace and secured in position thereby.

4. The combination with a shoe, of a supplemental tongue or cover secured between the quarters and the vamp and provided at its lower inner portion with eyelets, a stili'ener included between t'olds ot' the tongue, and a lacing engaging the said eyelets ior holding the stitfener in position.

5. As an article or'manufacturdalace-guard or instep-cover, having a stifiening backing conforlnably adaptable to the instep and having pliably conformable edges capable of litting flatly over the instep-quarters of the shoe and provided at one end with means of attachment thereto and having a pliable extension to forni a tongue.

In testimony whereolI l allix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

THOMAS OSBORNIG HOLLAND.

lVitnesses: Y

R. (al. DrimNForJiu-r, R. M. ELLIoirr. 

